Relations
Evergreen Montessori aims to build relationships between children, families, educators, and the community, thereby establishing strong bonds that will lead to positive social communications and relations.
Parent Participation
Parent involvement at Evergreen Montessori comes in several different ways.
At the beginning of each year, we host a Parent Orientation night to review the most important points in our handbook, check enrollment paperwork, and accept school supplies and personal belongings necessary for the start of the academic year.
In late January, we have private, personal parent/teacher conferences to review your child's progress in the following areas: social, emotional, physical, and academic.
Twice a year, we host Parent Education Nights. The first one is in October and is for all parents. This workshop is approximately one hour long, free of charge, and focuses on providing insight into the development of your children so as to better assist them in this process at home. The second night is in February and is for the parents of our Kindergarten students only. This workshop is designed to provide guidelines to parents for working to create their child's academic portfolio at home.
Another way parents participate in their child's education at Evergreen Montessori is through the personal attention given to reviewing their child's work folder that comes home periodically throughout the year. This folder features work that your child completes in the classroom. Some of the work will stay home and the rest of the work, which has been carefully selected, will be returned to the classroom and kept in your child's academic portfolio.
Lastly, we ask for parent participation in helping to prepare your child(ren) for our holiday parties and special events. In addition, we ask for our families to actively engage in our fundraising efforts either by lending a helping hand in preparation of the event, volunteering to assist in running the event, and bringing your families along to enjoy the event.
Community Involvement
Community involvement is a very important part of what connects our families to their surrounding neighborhoods. We want the children at Evergreen Montessori to understand that there are good people all around them that want to assist in contributing to their success for the betterment of our society as a whole. Additionally, we want them to become aware of how their actions can impact other groups in their community by giving back some of the proceeds from our fundraising to charitable organization which also contributes to the betterment of our global community.
There are two main fundraisers that Evergreen Montessori will be working to organize during the course of the year. The first fundraiser is "A Visit from the North Pole". This event will take place in early December and tickets will be sold in advance. The second fundraiser will be a golf outing, and will take place in the Spring. Tickets will be sold for golfers in groups of four. Raffles and additional sales will take place at both events.
Both fundraisers will be open to all families within the Rosslyn Farms and surrounding communities, and part of the proceeds will go to support charitable organizations.
About the Owner
From the time I was a child, I dreamt of one day becoming an educator. When I was 22 and living in the state of California, I started down the path of obtaining my Elementary Education Certification while working as an assistant in a classroom for emotionally distressed children.
After receiving my certification, I moved to Florida and began working as a 4th/5th grade teacher at Apple Tree Montessori school. This was my introduction into the Montessori way of learning. I immediately fell in love with the concept and methodology. During my time at Apple Tree, I earned my Secondary I Certification from the American Montessori Society allowing me to work in a Montessori classroom for children ages 12-15. With this degree, I started the school's first 6th, 7th, and 8th grade multi-age classroom and graduated their first two 8th grade classes. At the same time, I attended Florida Atlantic University and earned my Master's degree in Educational Leadership.
Moving forward, my career followed several different paths. I was a lead teacher for a 5th grade team of teachers and an Assistant Principal on special assignment at Somerset Academy Charter School. With the birth of my first child, I began teaching a homeschool co-op group for upper elementary/middle school students while my son participated in the younger co-op group.
In 2009, I moved back to my hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I earned my Montessori Early Childhood Diploma for children ages 3-6 and began assisting in a Montessori school while continuing to teach a small middle school co-op group via distance learning. In 2011, I opened my own Montessori program (Montessori Children's House) for five children in my residence. In 2013, while writing a charter school application in an effort to save Saint Mary of the Mount School, I met my former business partner who had an educational background with a similar constructivist philosophy of learning. I shared in the ownership and operation of Grandview Montessori on Mount Washington in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for approximately eight years.
In 2021, I opened Evergreen Montessori in the Rosslyn Farms Community Center as a sole proprietor. I am going into my third year of operation at this location and have begun the expansion of my program into the lower elementary grades. In the Fall of 2022, I opened first grade. This coming school year, I am adding second grade. In the Fall of 2024, I will be adding third grade to complete the lower elementary 6-9 multi-age classroom.
The community has a rich history of supporting education as it once had a grade school in this location. This beautiful, historic building is now the home of Evergreen Montessori. It is with great pleasure that I continue my journey as a Montessori educator.
As a Montessori educator, I believe the Montessori method is a way of learning that speaks to all individuals universally. In my educational experience, I have found that children and young adults respond very well to the Montessori method as it increases their interest in learning, allows them the freedom to explore in a safe environment, and helps them develop into life-long learners.
As a Montessori educator, my goal is to observe and assist the process of my students achieving “valorization of personality” at all ages and stages of development. This is the success in one’s life as a result of his/her self-confidence and capacity to adapt. I believe a good Montessori education facilitates a love of learning, a respect and understanding of the world and its cultures, and opens up doorways by providing children with the opportunity to independently and confidently choose meaningful work that they will engage in for the rest of their lives.